


Amelia and the Time Traveling Physicist 2: Love In a Tardis

by Missy



Category: The Big Bang Theory (TV)
Genre: Characters Turned Into Cyborgs or Androids, Characters Writing Fanfiction, F/M, Fluff, Humor, IN SPACE!, Metafiction, Power Outage, Romance, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-28
Updated: 2015-09-28
Packaged: 2018-04-23 19:33:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,640
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4889374
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Missy/pseuds/Missy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Stuck in Penny's apartment with no power, Amy is nudged into reading the sequel to her Little House on the Prairie fanfiction, to a surprising reaction from Sheldon.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Amelia and the Time Traveling Physicist 2: Love In a Tardis

**Author's Note:**

  * For [debirlfan](https://archiveofourown.org/users/debirlfan/gifts).



> I couldn't resist taking the tags you suggested and applying them to something Amy might have created! Hope you like.

It was Penny’s fault, in Sheldon’s vaunted opinion. Everyone knew that the building's outlets could only take so much overuse, and knowing the girl Penny had probably plugged all of her things into a single socket and run them in heedless unison without noticing the smoke. He wished she’d managed to finish preparing brunch for them before she’d fried her circuits, as his stomach rumbled and he yearned for a stack of her now forever-unbaked pumpkin waffles, which sat upstairs in a forlorn pre-born state of lumpy batter. But instead of indulging himself at Amy’s side he was now stuck in the basement listening to Leonard jimmy around the switches while he shone a flashlight on the works' guts. 

Leonard face emerged from the circuit breaker grease-stained and mottled red; he wiped his stained forehead against the sleeve of his good Sunday sweater. “It’s hopeless. We're going to have to call for help.”

“Do you mean you’re about to call that odious fellow who owns this place?” Sheldon deadpanned. “The last time I spoke to the man he called me a little noodle boy. I am many thing, Leonard, but a noodle I am not and will never be.” 

“I don’t know why you don’t like him. He gave me a free bag of black market Zagnut bars the last time he came around for inspections.” 

“Yes, well, candy aside I’m not in the mood for abuse this morning. I WAS in the mood for a Babylon Five marathon and some eggy, golden brown waffles, but since that’s out of the question…”

Penny’s blonde head peeped over the basement railing, killing Sheldon’s rant in mid-stream. “Any luck?”

“It’s fried. We’re calling the super," Leonard said.

“Good luck,” she sighed. “Come on up, Bernadette’s so bored she broke into your apartment and she's putting on a puppet show with Sheldon’s Obi Wan Kenobi figure.”

“She was under specific instructions not to touch those!” Sheldon yelled, stomping upstairs, nearly outstripping Penny and Leonard in speed on their way to her front door. The first thing he heard as he opened it was Bernadette’s musical voice, followed by Howard’s laughter. 

First she spoke in a low tone, bobbing his figure up and and down as if it were floating. “May the force be with you, Mrs. Butterworth!” Then she adopted a higher voice. “And also with my rich, creamy syrup, Mr. Kenobi!”

He pulled the figure right out of Bernadette's surprisingly strong grip. “Please. Stop. Touching. My. Things.” Cradling the figure like a child, he shot a glare at Amy. "Where were you? It's part of the contract that if the party of the first part isn't in the room their significant other must keep an eye on their possessions at all times."

"I tried but she placed me in a headlock. And I couldn't keep an eye on your things while I was in the bathroom," Amy said. Sheldon had no idea if that was true but he knew how tough Bernadette was and backed down. If Raj had been here instead of at a conference at MIT he’d have put a stop to this, he told himself inanely. 

Bernadette frowned before adopting the two voices once more. “That doen’t sound like fun, does it Obi-Wan? It sure doesn’t…”

“Better stop,” Howard said lightly, cupping Bernadette's wrist. “I can see the vein throbbing in his forehead.”

“Oh foo,” Bernadette said, returning Missus Butterworth to her regular perch on the kitchen counter. Whatever else Bernadette planned on saying was lost on Sheldon as he returned his possessions to their proper place in his own apartment; by the time they’d been secured Penny had assumed control of the former-brunch and was trying to direct traffic. 

“Why doesn’t everyone sit down? I’m going to make fruit salad.” Penny opened her refrigerator. “…Out of Raisinets and a half-dried kiwi.”

Bernadette joined Howard on the couch, with Amy in the end chair next to Sheldon, as Leonard moved automatically from the doorway to Penny’s place in the kitchen. “How do you guys want to spend the time?” Bernadette asked.

“We could speak about the latest news, but I’m afraid Penny’s cerebral cortex might explode,” Sheldon said.

“I know plenty about the news!” Penny said. “Blake Shelton just threw out Miranda Lambert’s stuff and Taylor Swift’s dating one of the Kennedy kids.”

“Boom!” Sheldon whispered, earning him a frown from Amy.

“Well, we have a charged laptop and time before the super gets here. Why don’t you read us more of your story, Amy?” Bernadette asked.

“Story?” Sheldon frowned. He had no idea Amy had been working on anything fictional – only dissertations for her own research. 

Amy shrank in her seat. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. Especially in mixed company.” 

“No, sweetie, I’d love to hear more!” Bernadette insisted. “Did the time-traveling stranger ever come back for Amelia?”

“…Am I going to need booze for this?” Howard asked.

“It’s a very. Lovely. Story. Howie,” said Bernadette firmly. “Isn’t it, Penny?”

“Yeah,” Penny agreed without looking up. “Do you guys think toasted marshmallows count as fiber?” she asked, prying open a bag and trying to brown them with a tiny lighter.

“If you’re all certain you won’t mind,” Amy said. She had brought her laptop along on their ‘brunch date’ just in case they needed it; in the time it took her to boot up and retrieve a word document Penny successfully toasted a handful of marshmallows and sat them on a paper plate, passing them as Amy prepared to read aloud.

 

“I’d be glad to listen to more of your work, sweetie,” Penny said. “And so is Leonard,” she added, elbowing him in the side.

“Sure,” he shrugged and took a marshmallow. “Go ahead and read.”

Amy sat up a little straighter in her chair, clearing her throat before starting. _”Amelia and the Time Traveling Physicist 2: Love In a Tardis. By Amy Farrah Fowler…._

Sheldon listlessly absorbed few of the details of Amy’s story, at first. There was something about a pioneer woman journeying to another world with a physicist who was also secretly a time-traveler and companion of Doctor Who. Together they’d landed in the far-flung future, forced to battle against a hostile world that was anti-hugging and pro-Dalek. His mind started drifting to other, more salient topics when something she said caught his ear.

_“Amelia gently ran the sponge down her lover’s arm. It was then that she noticed a small patch of pale skin, standing boldly out against his typically creamy skin tones. Rubbing against it gently, she dislodged the patch to reveal a circuit breaker filled with glowing wires. Amelia gasped in confusion, but her lover only smiled and seized her hand. “In the future, Amelia, all men will be offered an implant that will allow them to process kisses at an alarmingly high rate. I chose several modifications - in the interest of science and improving my ability to be a sensitive lover. I’ll be the first android in all the cosmos!”_

_“That explains your reluctance to express emotion!” Amelia gasped._

“Oh brother,” said Leonard, only to receive another elbow in the side from Penny.

But Sheldon’s interest had been piqued enough by this to keep listening along. He’d had no idea that Amy enjoyed robotics – her technical know-how was fairly rudamentary, true, but this proved to be his passkey into her world, and he found himself getting engrossed in the characters and action. It wasn’t as serious as the work he’d done by himself, of course (and frankly it was missing several thick piles of footnotes but who was he to nitpick?), but nonetheless it was a very spirited try.

 _“And then he parted his jacket to reveal…”_ Amy flushed and stopped reading. “It goes on like this for awhile.” She scrolled. “A long while.” She fanned her bright cheeks and looked up from the screen. “What did everyone think?”

“I loved it!” Bernadette said. “That Amelia sure is spunky!”

“She’d have to be compared to the guy in that story; that physicist was a total load.” Howard said.

“Don’t you dare make fun of Amy's story!” Bernadette yelled. “It’s taken a long time for her to come out of her shell and anyone who tries to shove her back into it is a total crumb-bum who doesn’t deserve any of my yummy no-bake cheesecake!”

"You're hiding cheesecake?" asked Penny.

"It's back at our apartment," said Bernadette. "We didn't bring it because apparently it constipates SOMEONE on sight." She glared at Sheldon, who waved her off.

“Leonard?” asked Amy.

“I really liked it,” confessed Leonard. “The setting was very vivid, and I really wanted Amelia to finish learning the second strong hug technique from the Ventivuri.”

“Penny?” asked Amy.

“Why did you skimp on the smut?” asked Penny.

“Never mind,” Amy said quickly. “Sheldon?”

“I…” he snapped out of the reverie her story had put him in, and the words flowed with sudden ease. ”I’ve never inspired a literary tribute before,” Sheldon confessed. 

“But it’s not about you….really?” Amy asked, eyes widening.

“Yes. Well, there was that time Jennings used my name in a dirty limerick. But foul poetry doesn’t fall under the jurisdiction of classy literature.” He placed his hand over hers. “I truly enjoyed it. Amelia.” 

She chuckled warmly, freeing a hand to close the laptop. “If you ever want to try out that Ventivurdian hug technique…”

“I don’t know if I’m ready for that kind of commitment,” he said. His fingers wiggled over the armrest and to hers again. As if on cue the power roared back to life. 

“Look,” she said cheerfully. “we’re _electric._ ”

Sheldon managed to avoid lecturing her about positrons and currents. They had noting to do with the odd ache in his chest. And besides - he didn’t want to move his hand.


End file.
